Conservatives: which are the most dangerous?

Preservatives are additives identified by the codes E200 to E399 which are widely used by the food industry to extend the life of foods. They are divided into two main categories:

• preservatives in the strict sense, non-antioxidants (E200 to E299), including sulphites (E220-E228), nitrates and nitrites (E249-E252);
• antioxidants (E300 to E399).

Several of them have already been singled out for their potential health risk, in particular nitrites (E250) from cold meats.

Read: Nitrites from processed meats increase the risk of type 2 diabetes

Increased risks of cancer and type 2 diabetes

In January 2026, the Cress-Eren team (Inserm, INRAE, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité, Cnam) led by Mathilde Touvier published two joint studies on the risks associated with the consumption of preservatives, one in The BMJ (1) and the other in Nature Communications (2).

This work is based on data from more than 100,000 adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort, who reported their eating habits in detail between 2009 and 2023, making it possible to assess their exposure to 58 different preservatives.

High consumption of non-antioxidant preservatives was associated with increased overall cancer risk and breast cancer. Among the substances of greatest concern were:

• potassium sorbate : +14% overall risk, +26% for breast cancer;
• sulphites : +12% of the overall risk;
• sodium nitrite : +32% for prostate cancer;
• acetates : +15% overall risk.

High consumption of preservatives overall was associated with increased incidence of type 2 diabetes by 47%, compared to the lowest levels of consumption. 12 preservatives out of the 17 analyzed individually were linked to this risk.

However, these two studies do indicate an association between the consumption of preservatives and the risks of cancer and diabetes, which does not constitute proof of the cause and effect relationship.

In practice: conservatives to watch out for

In The new additive guideAnne-Laure Denans, doctor of pharmacy, already pointed out the dangerousness of certain preservatives. Below we present a list of preservatives to avoid, based on this book.

To go further: The new additive guide

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